Meredith has never really been into fitness and running, ‘I had not run since I was at school. And I’m 50 now’, but when lockdown began last year, she started running round the block with her daughter each morning. Her daughter’s football team had encouraged the players to run a kilometre
David was interested in finding a sustainable, social way of growing food in his local area. He had struggled to find a suitable growing space locally or meet other growers he could learn from. Through TAWS, David was able to work with a local community group to reopen a disused
Claire started volunteering at the All Saint’s community garden in Small Heath in February this year. With a passion for growing, gardening and, composting Claire was keen to get involved, lay the groundwork and help get things started with the growing space for local people to take ownership. Claire feels
Joe works in Finance, but as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, he was furloughed and then later made redundant. This meant he had a lot of time on his hands and often felt stuck at home. He visited his GP for a routine diabetes check-up and as part of the review, the Doctor referred Joe to Grace, a Social
We’re one of 551 co-ops in the West Midlands working together with the community, for the community. Much of the work we’ve done over the last year could not have been possible without working in partnership with others. Throughout lockdown, we’ve been working closely with other co-ops in a combined
Friday 26th June marked the official opening of the Caring Minds Memorial Orchard at the Uffculme Centre near to Kings Heath. We joined people from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) at a moving event to remember all those lost over the last 18 months, including staff members, service users, carers and family members. This event allowed us all to reflect
Shakila discovered the ladies social running group at Trittiford Mill Park earlier this year and has started the Couch to 5k training programme. She said that being part of the group has ‘been my saviour during covid’. Shakila is a stay-at-home mum who looks after her two young children. As someone
The Active Wellbeing Society have been working with health partners to distribute free bikes to patients across the city. The bikes are recommended to patients whose physical and mental health would see the greatest benefit from access to a bike. One of the patients who was referred to the scheme was Damien, who has anxiety and has
Husband and wife, Raza and Rashida, took Raza’s and their daughters’ bikes to the Cycle Fix-It Café to have them checked and repaired. The Cycle Fix-It Cafés are a free, pop-up, bike repair service where our bike mechanic can carry out a cycle ‘M’ check and any basic repairs. An ‘M’ check is a simple, 11-step method for checking
As part of Co-op Fortnight, we’re reflecting back on the last year and how, as a co-operative working with communities, we pulled together in collaboration to support each other. The Covid-19 pandemic has had an extraordinary, far-reaching effect across the globe. It was something we could never have prepared for
Many of us have felt lonely and socially isolated this year. Almost half of the UK population said that they experience feelings of loneliness at times. The Covid-19 pandemic has made it much harder for us to maintain important social connections, with some people losing all forms of physical contact with others. Even with
Halema was a very active person, but after developing drug resistant tuberculosis and having two children she became sedentary. She explained, ‘my body had a really, really bad impact from it. It affected my lungs.’ Being fit and healthy has always been important to Halema. She explained that ‘as the years have gone on, I kept kind of
Volunteers’ Week is an opportunity for us to say thank you to volunteers and celebrate their invaluable contribution. Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen an incredible response as Birmingham volunteers stepped forward to support their local communities. Since April 2020, over 1,300 volunteers have given their time to support projects from food distribution to befriending calls, amounting
During Mental Health Awareness Week this year, the theme is ‘nature’. The Mental Health Foundation has found that our relationship with nature – the ways we notice, think about, and appreciate our natural surroundings – is a critical factor in supporting good mental health. After a year in which most of us
The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) are working in partnership with Birmingham City Council and other local organisations as part of a government funded E-Cargo bike pilot in the city. The Birmingham pilot has been awarded funding for 13 E-Cargo bikes and 7 E-Cargo trikes, which will be used to encourage sustainable travel. The bikes and trikes have a large storage container on the front, which
Each year, SMK celebrates the best campaigns and campaigners. SMK’s interest is in finding those who have made change happen – most effectively, creatively and courageously. That change might be in law or policy; it might be in attitudes, social norms or behaviour; it could be in how services are
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner visited Balsall Heath City Farm on 7th April to see how #BrumTogether has been working with our communities through the Covid-19 pandemic. Inequalities in Birmingham were pervasive even before the pandemic, and we have seen these inequalities deepen over the last 12
Adam has been volunteering with The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) since November 2020 in a variety of cycling related activities. He has been involved in lots of projects, such as assisting the bike mechanic at the Cycle Fix it Café, building bikes, delivering food and clothing using our E-cargo bikes,
Manor House, Hay Hall Business Park, Redfern Road, Tyseley, Birmingham,
West Midlands, B11 2BE.
The Active Wellbeing Society Limited (registered no.7595) is a charitable community benefit society